Cable-tramway.



S. P. WATT.

CABLE TRAMWAY.

APPLICATION FILED M1142, 1'011.

Patented May 30, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

m A T TOR/VE Y WITNESSES:

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S. P. WATT. v CABLE TRAMWAY.

APPLICATION FILED 11.11.12, 1911.

Patented May 30, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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TINT T SERN P. WATT, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR T0 WASHINGTON IRONWORKS, OE SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

CABLE-TRAMWAY.

Application filed January 12, 1911.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 19nd.

Serial No. 602,220.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SERN P. WATT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cable-Tramways, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to aerial tramways having cables on which loadcarrying trolleys travel and are operable by lines controlled from powerwinding drums.

The invention is especially applicable to and is an improvement uponsuch apparatus employed in the conveyance of logs from and to variouslocations along the line. Its object is to afford eflicient andconveniently controlled devices of this nature whereby the loads may beexpeditiously handled.

With these and other ends in View, the invention consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatusembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the load carriage andtrailer. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of Fig. 2. Fig. 4c isan underside plan View of the load-carriage. Fig. 5 is a side elevationof the same. Fig. 6 is a front view thereof with parts broken away. Fig.7 is a partial section taken through 77 of Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 1,the numeral 10 designates a cable serving as atrack-way which is secured to supporting posts 11 and 12. Mounted fortravel upon said cable is a trolley or load carriage A, and asupplementary carriage, or trailer B, supported by groovedtraction-wheels 13, 13 and 14:, 14, respectively.

15 and 16 represent rope winding drums of a hoisting engine, or othermotor, which is located adjacent to the post 11. A hoisting andtraveling line 17 hereinafter designated as the main line, from theengine drum 15, passes through a guide pulley 18 attached to the post11, thence through the carriage A to and about a sheave 19 provided inthe trailer B and then returns to the load-carriage where it passes overa sheave 20 provided therein to extend through the underside of thecarriage. A second cable 21, hereinafter designated as the out haulrope, from the engine drum 16 passes through a guide pulley 22 on post11 then through a pulley 22 on the remote post 12 and from there therope extends to and is secured to the trailer B. Said load-carriage isdesirably formed with a rigid frame or casing comprising two plates 23which are spaced apart and wherein are journaled the axles of therespective traction wheels and the axle 24 of the sheave 20. Fixedlysecured to said casing plates and directly above the trackway 10 is ablock 25. Intermediate said trackway and the main line 17 is a secondblock 26 which is tiltably connected to a pin 27 through the medium ofspaced arms 28- extending in a substantially horizontal directionforwardly from the pin and to within a short distance of the front ofthe casing. A third block 29 is disposed below the main line and iskeyed or otherwise rigidly secured to the pin 27 so as to be oscillatedtherewith. The aforesaid blocks constitute gripping-jaws whereby theload carriage may be detachably connected with either the trackway orthe main line, as required in the operation of the invention. The block26 is controlled through the agency of a member 30 disposed longitudi-,

nally below said casing and provided at its forward end with an arm 31extending upwardly within the casing to terminate with a hook 32 and ashoulder 32 between which the arms of the grip-block 26 are at all timesoperatively engaged. From its other end, said member is provided withtwo upwardly and rearwardly extending wings 33 which are apertured, asat 3t, to receive a fulcrum support, such, for example, as theprojecting ends of the aforementioned axle 24. To the rear of thecasing, said wings: afiord a support for the fulcrum pin 35 of a leverhaving upwardly directed arms 36 which are integrally connected abovethe wings by a bridge element 36, and a downwardly directed arm 37. Thelast named arm is connected by a link 38 with an arm 39 which is keyedto the end of the pin 27 which carries the grip-block 29. This arm isarranged to extend in an inclined direction to in front of the casingand above the trackway and is provided with a finger 4O directedlaterally over the latter. The member 30 is constructed to have thegreater portion of its weight anterior of the axis 24 of its oscillatorymovement and, consequently, when the member is unconstrained, theforward end thereof will have a tendency to drop to actuate the block 26with respect to the trackway 10, while the end carrying said lever willbe correspondingly elevated.

There is clamped to the main line 17 and near its outer end a heavy body41, desirably circular, formed medially of its height with a shoulder 42whence extends upwardly a neck which is surmounted by a conoidal head43. When the part of the main rope carrying said body is pulled upwardlyin the hoisting operation, the head and neck of the body 41 areintroduced into an opening therefor provided in the member 30 but, suchopening being of less size than said body, the shoulder 42 of the latterwill encounter the member to swing the same from the position in whichit is represented in Fig. 1 to that in which it is shown in Figs. 3 and5. When thus moved, said body is arrested by the latch devices which Iwill now describe.

A hook 44, Fig. 3, is keyed or otherwise secured to a pin 44 extendingtransversely through the casing plates. Loosely mounted upon this pin isan arm 45, and also an arm 46 which is rigidly secured to the pin.Secured to the arm 46 and extending through an apertured lug 47 of thearm 45 is a bolt 48 about which and interposed between the lug and thearm 45 is a. helical spring 49 whose main office is to afford resilientmotion to the hook for engaging the latter under the head of theaforesaid body 41 without disturbing the arm 45. A two-part toggleelement 50 connects the arm 45 wit-h another toggle element 51 throughwhich extends loosely the axle 52 of the traction wheel 13. The pivotalconnection 53 between the above named toggle elements which is locatedintermediate the axle 52 and the extreme end of the element 51 isprovided with lateral projections 51 to limit the swinging movement ofthe other toggle element in one rotary direction. The element 51 isyieldingly coupled to the axle 52 by being embraced between companiondisks 54, see Fig. 7, which are splined to said axle and made operativethrough the instrumentality of a helical spring 55 positioned betweenthe outer of such disks and an adjustable nut screwed upon the threadedend of the axle. Hingedly connected by a pin 56 to the casing is a bail57 projecting forwardly from the carriage and terminating in a tongue 58which is provided with a notch 59 and having an upwardly inclinedextremity, or bill 60, there in front. Said bail is disposed to bebetween the aforementioned finger 40 and the trackway 10. Attached in apredetermined position to this trackway is a trip device comprising alever 61 fulcrumed at 62 to a support 63 which is clamped to thetrackway and provided with a channel 64 thereabove. lVithin the channeland connected to the lever 61 for movement therewith is an angle-shapedcatch 65 whereof one of its diverging legs 65 is normally maintained bythe weight of the lever 61 to be in a horizontal position and the otherleg 65 would then be directed downwardly, as shown in Fig. 3. Thefulcrum of the lever 61 is in alinement with the juncture of thecatch-legs 65 and 65". A line 66 is secured to the pendent end of lever61 and extends within convenient reach of the operator, for example, theattendant at the hoisting engine.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the trailer B is provided with a framehaving side plates 67 formed with bearings for the axles of the tractionwheels 14, 14 and the axle of the sheave 19. Interposed between theframe plates is a pair of gripping members 68 and 69 which are designedto grip the main line 17 when the trailer is influenced by the outhaulrope 21. More particularly, the member 68 is suspended by spaced wingelements 70 at each side of the wheel 14 to the axle 71 of the same.this member is provided with a jaw 72 at the rear, a depending tooth 7 3at the front end of the member, and with an intervening recess 74. Theother member 69 is tiltably supported upon a pin 75 extending throughthe frame at a distance below and in the vertical plane, preferably, ofthe axis of the axle 71'. In its upper face this member is provided witha jaw 76 opposing the jaw 72 of the other member and is likewiseprovided with a recess 77 and a tooth 78, respectively interfitting withthe tooth and recess of the other member. The member 69 is formed with arelatively heavy forwardly projecting portion 79 terminating in a socket80 provided with a flaring or bellshaped mouth 81. The weight of thepart of the member 69 which is in front of its pivotal support 75exceeds that of the part which is disposed upon the other, or jaw side,consequently the tendency of such unbalanced portion is to exert alimited gripping pressure against the main line contributory to apressure being applied from the jaw of the other member by virtue of theabove described interfitting teeth and recesses of the respectivemembers. By the disposition of the weight, with relation to the jaws, itis to be noted that when a pull is exerted upon the outhaul line it willnormally serve to swing the gripping members forwardly and allow of thegripping of the main line relative to the trailer.

The operation is as follows: The engine drum 15 is first operated forwinding in the main line 17 to draw the carriage A and the trailer B tocarry the tongue 58 of the car- The underside of riage bail 57 over thecatch 65 and until the carriage casing is brought against the catchsupport 63. By then releasing the main line and employing the outhaulrope 21, a reverse travel is imparted to the carriage until interruptedby the hooked end of the bail encountering the catch to allow the latterentering the notch 59. The purpose of such reversal in the carriagestravel is to afford turning movements to the traction wheel 13 and thedisks 54 to render the toggle elements 51 and 50 operative to swing thearms 45 and 46 for positioning the hook 44 to be engaged by the weight41 when presented. To insure the weight 41 being thus presented, it maybe necessary to further draw in the main line to which it is attached.The outhaul rope 21 is now actuated by the drum 16 to primarily draw thetrailer B for a distance away from the carriage simultaneously with orsubsequent to the release of drum 15 to pay out the main line sufiicientto accommodate the outward movement of the trailer and afi'ord slackline, so to speak, between the carriage and the trailer. ,VVhereupon thecatch 65 is manipulated to cause the leg 65 thereof to be swung towardthe post 11 through the medium of lever 61 and the attached rope 66, theleg 65 being brought under the bill 60 will urge the bail upwardly towithdraw the notch 59 from the catch. The trailer being gripped by thegripping members 68 and 69 to the line 17 will cause the carriage, whenfreed, to accompany the trailer in its travel to the place for receivingthe load. In such situation, the drum 16 is freed and a pull appliedthrough the main line will result in a relatively small forward movementobtaining to the carriage to produce a rotary movement to the tractionwheel 13 which is trans mitted through the clutch elements 54 toinfluence the arm 45, through the medium of the toggle elements 51 and50, whereby the associated arm 46 is, in turn, influenced to cause thehook 44 to be unlatched from the weight 41. Upon being released, thisweight, supplemented by the weight of suspended grappling devices (suchas hook, chokerstrap or grappling tongs, which may be pro vided upon theend of the line 17) and assisted by the drawing of the trailer towardthe carriage will result in a desired amount of the above mentionedslack being taken to the ground. Meanwhile, and through the withdrawalof the weight 41 which has previously supported the member 30 in itsmost elevated position, the effective weight of such member acts througharms 28 to elevate the block 26 into position to coact with the fixedblock 25 for gripping the trackway therebetween to obviate any movementin the carriage which might interfere with the delivery of the slackline.

After securing the load to the main line as, for example, by means suchas grappling tongs T (Fig. 1) and while the outhaul rope remains free,the main line is again actuated to cause the trailer to be broughtagainst the carriage when a knob 82 protruding from the rear of thelatter is impacted against the inclined surface within the mouth 81 ofthe grip member 69 which then asserts itself (through theinstrumentality of the meshing teeth 7 3, 7 8) to actuate the other gripmember 68 whereby the main rope is effectually released by the jaws 76and 72 of the respective members. In the performance of such duty, thebridge 36 of lever arms 36 is pushed downwardly against the wings 33 ofthe member 30 resulting in the tilting upwardly of the forward end ofthis member and the disengagement of the grip block 26 from the trackway10. The grip block 26 is thus lowered upon the main line 17, but doesnot engage therewith inasmuch as the opposing grip block 29 has beenretracted through the oflices of the arm 39, link 38 and the lever arm37 which was forced into action when the other arms 36, as above noted,were acted upon by the salient portion of the trailer grip-member 69.Under such conditions, the carriages are not directly coupled to anyline or rope, so that a pull applied to the main line will serve toelevate the load and cause the progressive travel of both of thecarriages to transport the load to the place of delivery. During suchconveyance of the load, a counter pull is maintained in the outhaul ropesufficient to suspend the load at a desired height. The paying out ofthe main line will suffice to lower the load.

The finger 40, it is to be noted, is engaged by the bail 57 when thesame is raised in mounting the catch 65. In the performance of which thearm 39 is effected to disengage the grip block 29a function which mayalso be attained through the agency of link 38 when actuated by lever36-37. Moreover, the finger being above the bail is free to rise withoutdisturbing the hail from its engagement with the catch 65, as has beenfound essential when the aforedescribed cycle of operation is to berepeated.

l/Vith this invention, the various operations of hoisting and conveyingloads upon the aerial tracks are accomplished through the agency of twooperating lines-the main line and the haul-back ropewhich are themselvescontrolled by simply winding upon or paying out of the same fromsuitable power driven drums.

What I claim, is

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway, ahoisting and hauling line, two carriages, mechanism provided on therespective carriages and adapted for engagement with said line, themechanism upon one of said carriages being also adapted for engagementwith the trackway, and means whereby said mechanism may be actuated forselectively engaging the trackway or the line.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,two carriages thereon, a single hoisting and hauling line making arunning engagement with both of said carriages, and means affecting bothof said carriages whereby said line may be paid out to aiiord slack.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,two carriages thereon, a line making a running engagement with both ofthe carriages and serving selectively for load hoisting and carriagehauling purposes, an outhaul rope secured to one of the carriages, andmeans made operable through the instrumentality of the outhaul rope andsaid line whereby a load may be carried upon the line.

4. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a trackwayand two carriages thereon, of an outhaul rope secured to one of saidcarriages, a hoisting and hauling line, and means controlled by theaction of said rope and line whereby the latter is operatively connectedwith one or the other of said carriages selectively.

5. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,two carriages thereon, a hoisting and hauling line extending throughboth of said carriages, an outhaul rope secured to one of saidcarriages, devices controlled by said line and said rope whereby thecarriages may be caused to travel together or individually in eitherdirection upon the trackway.

6. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,two carriages thereon, a single hoisting and hauling line cooperating toactuate both carriages, and an outhaul rope connected with one of thecarriages.

7. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,two carriages thereon, a single hoisting line employed with both of saidcarriages, an outhaul rope for one of the carriages and means wherebythe two carriages may be detachably coupled to gether.

8. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a trackway,two carriages thereon, a single hoisting and hauling line for both ofsaid carriages, an outhaul rope secured to one of said carriages, andmeans actuated through the agency of said line and the rope whereby thecarriage may be secured to the trackway.

9. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a trackway,two carriages thereon, a single hoisting and hauling line for both ofsaid carriages, an outhaul rope secured to one of said carriages, andmeans actuated through the agency of said line and the rope whereby thecarriage may be secured to the trackway and also arranged to be operatedto cause either of said carriages to be secured to the line while theline has a running engagement with the other of the carriages.

10. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with atrackway, two carriages thereon, a single hauling and hoisting linecooperating with both carriages, an outhaul rope secured to one of thecarriages, grip mechanisms for each of the carriages, and means forcausing said grip mechanisms to become operable through the medium ofsaid line and the rope whereby the carriages may be selectively engagedwith said line and also affording means for engaging one of saidcarriages to said trackway.

11. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,two carriages thereon, a hauling and hoisting line making a runningengagement with both of said carriages, an outhaul rope secured to oneof the carriages, grip devices provided in the other carriage, meansmade operable through the agency of said line and the rope whereby thecarriage to which the rope is secured may be individually movedsubsequent to actuating the grip devices for securing the other of thecarriages to the trackway.

12. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with atrackway, a load carriage thereon, a sheave in said carriage, a secondcarriage also mounted on the trackway, and a sheave in the second namedcarriage, of an outhaul rope secured to said supplementary carriage, ahauling line passing about both of said sheaves and having a portiondepending from the first named one, and devices regulated through theaction of said line and the rope for paying outand taking up thereferred to depending portion of the line.

13. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with atrackway, a load carriage thereon, a sheave in said carriage, a secondcarriage also mounted on the trackway and a sheave in the second namedcarriage, of an outhaul rope secured to the second named carriage, ahauling line passing about both of said sheaves and having a portiondepending from the first named one, devices regulated through the actionof said line and the rope for paying out and taking up the referred todepending portion of the line, and means actuated by the line and ropefor releasably securing said line to the carriages whereby the same maybe hauled upon the trackway with an attached load for depositing theload at a predetermined location.

14. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,a load carriage traveling thereon, and provided with a rope sheave, asecond carriage also traveling on the trackway and provided with a ropesheave, a hoisting and conveying line passing through the load carriageand thence about the sheave in the second named carriage and finallyover the sheave of the load carriage, an outhaul rope secured to thesecond named carriage, and cooperating mechanism. carried by thecarriages and made operative through the agency of said line and ropewhereby said line may be con trolled to first pay out the line to besecured to a load, then haul in the line to raise the load, then effectthe travel of both the carriages to transport the load, and finally topay out the line for depositing the load.

15. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,a carriage thereon, a single hoisting and hauling line making runningengagement in the carriage, an outhaul rope connected with the carriage,devices hingedly connected with the carriage and provided with a hookedend projecting forwardly therefrom, a catch on the trackway arranged forreleasably engaging said devices, grip elements provided in the carriagefor gripping either the line or said t-rackway, one of said elementsbeing operatively connected with said devices, a member suspended fromthe carriage and operatively connected with the other of said gripelements, and means provided upon said line and controlled thereby forcausing the member to cooperate with said devices to effect the grippingof the line by said grip elements subsequent to the release of saiddevices from said catch.

16. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,two carriages thereon, a hoisting line arranged to support a load fromone of the carriages, an outhaul rope secured to the other carriage,said line and rope cooperating for effecting the tractive movements ofeither of said carriages and likewise serving to regulate their relativepositions on the trackway.

17. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a trackway,a load supporting carriage and a trailer on said trackway, an outhaulrope secured to said trailer, and a line making a running engagementwith both the carriage and the trailer, said line being arranged to beselectively employed for hoisting or hauling purposes.

SEEN P. WATT.

WVitnesses PIERRE BARNES, E. PETERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

